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Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...
Tyron D. S. Silvapulle, PWV, RWP,
RSP RSP may refer to: Music * RSP (band), a Japanese hip-hop and R&B group * Rubber Soul Project, a Serbian rock music band Business * Recognised Safety Professional, a designation awarded by the International Institute of Risk & Safety Managemen ...
(also referred to as Tyrone Silvapulle, 22 July 1966 – 17 December 1999) was a
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
n
attack helicopter An attack helicopter is an armed helicopter with the primary role of an attack aircraft, with the offensive (military), offensive capability of engaging ground targets such as enemy infantry, military vehicles and fortifications. Due to their ...
pilot. He distinguished himself as a capable helicopter pilot in the
Sri Lanka Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; ; ) is the air force, air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The SLAF played a major r ...
during the Sri Lankan Civil War. Silvapulle was killed in action in northern
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, and posthumously awarded the
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya __NOTOC__ The Parama Weera Vibhushanaya (PWV) ( Sinhala: පරම වීර වීභූෂණය ''parama vīra vibhūṣaṇaya''; Tamil: பரம வீர விபுஷனைய) is Sri Lanka's highest military decoration, awarded for ac ...
, the country's highest military award for gallantry. To date, he is the first and only recipient of the award from the Sri Lanka Air Force.


Early life and SLAF career

Silvapulle was a
Sri Lankan Chetty Sri Lankan Chetties (, ) also known as Colombo Chetties, are an ethnicity in the island of Sri Lanka. Before 2001, they were classified as a Sri Lankan Tamil caste, but then after 2001, they were classified as a separate ethnic group in the 2001 ...
and was educated at
St. Joseph's College, Colombo St. Joseph's College is a selective-entry Roman Catholic school in Sri Lanka. It was founded in 1896 by French Missionaries led by Rev. Father Christophe Ernest Bonjean. The college has over 4,000 enrolled students with a staff of over 450 as o ...
. Silvapulle joined in the air force on 18 May 1986 in the Officer Cadet Intake 16 and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the General Duties Pilot Branch with the enlistment number 01502. He served as a helicopter pilot in the No. 4 Squadron flying Bell 212 and Mil Mi-17 transport helicopters, before he was assigned to the No. 9 Attack Helicopter Squadron to pilot the SLAF Mil Mi-24 Hind gunships.


Action on 17 December 1999

Following
Operation Jayasikurui Operation Jayasikurui (''Certain Victory'' in Sinhala), was a Sri Lankan military operation launched on 13 May 1997, it lasted until 1999, when it was called off. The operation was initially launched for 6 months but cancelled after 18 mont ...
, the LTTE had taken to the offensive by overruning Kilinochchi in September 1998 and launched
Operation Unceasing Waves III The Second Battle of Elephant Pass (code-named Operation Unceasing Waves III (ஓயாத அலைகள் மூன்று) by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), was fought from December 1999 to April 2000 for the control of the Sri ...
on 11 December 1999 with a massive attack on the Sri Lanka Army key base in
Elephant Pass Elephant Pass (; ) is a region located at the gateway of the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It lies about 340 km north of the capital. It has an important military base and used to be the island's largest salt field. ...
, via its forward defence line in Paranthan. On 17 December 1999, the army's forward defence lines at Thamilamadam near
Elephant Pass Elephant Pass (; ) is a region located at the gateway of the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It lies about 340 km north of the capital. It has an important military base and used to be the island's largest salt field. ...
came under attack from a group of
Tamil Tiger The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam ...
boats. The Air Force dispatched two Mi-24 gunships to provide
close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...
for the troops at the defence lines. Silvapulle, a
Squadron Leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr or S/L) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Squadron leader is immediatel ...
at the time, led the formation piloting his Mi-24 with the identification numbers CH-618. Suspecting that the Tamil Tigers may be armed with
surface-to-air missiles A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-a ...
, he ordered his
wingman A wingman (or wingmate) is the pilot of a secondary aircraft providing support or protection to a primary aircraft in a potentially dangerous situation, traditionally flying in formation to the side and slightly behind the primary craft. The t ...
to stay out of range and proceeded to attack the boats, repelling the attack and forcing them to retreat. Despite adverse weather conditions and the potential danger to his aircraft, Silvapulle continued to pursue the fleeing boats and attack them. However, his gunship was hit by a projectile, which the military later suspected was an anti-aircraft missile. The damaged aircraft crashed into the Kilali lagoon, killing Silvapulle, his co-pilot
Flying Officer Flying officer (Fg Offr or F/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Flying officer is immediately ...
Chinthaka Prashan De Soysa and two gunners. Their bodies were later retrieved in a joint operation by the air force and army led by Flying Officer S. P. V. K. Senadheera. Some vital components of the gunship were salvaged, and the rest of the wreckage was demolished. This incident was the second time that a Mi-24 of the air force had been taken down by enemy fire. He was married at the time of his death, with his wife expecting a child.


Awards and recognition

Silvapulle received the
Rana Wickrama Padakkama The Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP, Combat Gallantry Medal) (Sinhala language, Sinhala: රණ වික්‍රම පදක්කම) is awarded to Sri Lankan military service personnel serving in both the regular- and volunteer forces as a rew ...
and the
Rana Sura Padakkama Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP, Combat Excellence Medal) ( Sinhala: රණ ශූර පදක්කම ''rana śūra padakkama'') is awarded to servicepersons of all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of Sri Lanka for individual ...
, the fourth and fifth highest awards respectively for gallantry during combat, in 1994. He was also awarded a number of
service Service may refer to: Activities * Administrative service, a required part of the workload of university faculty * Civil service, the body of employees of a government * Community service, volunteer service for the benefit of a community or a ...
and campaign medals. Silvapulle was promoted to the rank of
Wing Commander Wing commander (Wg Cdr or W/C) is a senior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Wing commander is immediately se ...
after his death, and recommended for the
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya __NOTOC__ The Parama Weera Vibhushanaya (PWV) ( Sinhala: පරම වීර වීභූෂණය ''parama vīra vibhūṣaṇaya''; Tamil: பரம வீர விபுஷனைய) is Sri Lanka's highest military decoration, awarded for ac ...
. It was approved more than 12 years later, after the end of the war. The decision to award the medal was announced in
The Sri Lanka Gazette ''The Sri Lanka Gazette'', officially ''The Gazette of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka'', (; ) is a public journal of the Government of Sri Lanka. It prints certain statutory notices from the government. Modeled after the '' Oxf ...
on 16 May 2012. The citation for his medal commends his actions on 17 December 1999 as follows: His medal was awarded to his next-of-kin on 19 May 2012 by
Mahinda Rajapaksa Mahinda Rajapaksa (; ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the sixth President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015; the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 2004 to 2005, 2018, and 2019 to 2022; the ...
, the President of Sri Lanka, at the celebrations marking the third anniversary of the end of the war. Silvapulle is the first and only recipient of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya from the air force.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Silvapulle, Tyron Recipients of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya Sri Lankan Air Force officers Sri Lankan military personnel killed in action Sri Lankan Chetties Sri Lankan Tamil military personnel Sri Lankan Tamil people Sri Lankan military aviators 1999 deaths 1966 births